Garment-clasp.



No. 732,138. PATENTED JUNBEO. 1903.

T. P. TAYLOR ,6: R. B. TUNNICLIFFE.

GARMENT CLASP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20. 1903.

no MODEL.

INVENTORQ Y B I UN TTED STATES Patented June so, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS P. TAYLOR, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, AND ROBERT E. TUNNICLIFFE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GARM ENT-CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 732,138, dated June 30, 1903 Application filed March 20,1903- Serial No. 148,738. (No model-l To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS P. TAYLOR, residing at Bridgeport, Fairfield county, Connecticut, and ROBERT B. TUNNICLIFFE, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, citizens of the United States, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Clasps; and we do herebydeclare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certaim improvements in garment-clasps, and has for its object to provide a device of this description which may be readily manipulated, will 0perate effectively, and will not tear a garment; and with these ends in view our invention consists in certain details of construction and combination of parts, such as will be hereinafter fully set forth and then specifically be designated by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application, Figure l is a side elevation of an approved form of our improvement; Fig. 2, a perspective view illustrating the parts of our improvement in clasped condition; Fig. 3, a perspective viewillustrating the parts of our improvement initially engaged preparatory to final clasping. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showinga slight modification of the form shown at Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a side elevation of still another modified form of ourimprovement, showing the parts in unclasped condition; Fig. 6, a side elevation of the construction shown at Fig. 5, but showing the parts in clasped condition; Fig. 7, a plan view of another modified form of our improvements, the parts being shown in initial engagement preparatory to final clasping; and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the construction shown at Fig. 7, showing the parts in clasped condition.

Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Our improvement relates to that form of garment-clasps which ordinarily comprises a base-plate with a stud at the forward end and a metallic loop whose opening is large at one end to admit the stud and contracted at the other end, so as to closely hug said stud; but

extending upwardly therefrom, and t is alever, one end of which is pivoted to said bracket, while to the other extremity of said lever is secured the rear end of a flexible loop 5, the other end of said loop projecting forward ahead of the bracket.

6 is a slot in the base-plate, by means of which the latter may be attached to any suitable webbing.

In the operation of our improvement the garmentis passed over the hook device, and the flexible loop is then placed around the device outside the garment, and the lever 4 is then swung rearwardly, thus tighteningthe loop and causing the garment to be firmly held.

Of course any hook element will answer the purposes of our invention, and the hook device 2 which we have mentioned is a sort of stud, which is one form of hook element, and at Fig. 4 we have shown a hook formation 7 at the forward end of the base-plate, this being a modified form of hook element. It is also immaterial whether the hook or other similar device extends from the face of the plate or from the back of the same, and we have therefore shown at Figs. 5 and 6 a hook 8 at the back of the base-plate and at the forward end thereof, and in utilizing this construction the garment is disposed over the front end of the plate, so as to cover thehook, and the flexible loop then engaged with the hook outside the garment and the leverswung to tighten the loop.

We do not wish to be limited to any particular way of connecting the lever with the base-plate, since it is merely necessary to so connect this lever with said plate that when said lever is moved forward the loop will be slackened to release the garment and'when it is moved backward such loop will be tightened to firmly clasp the garment. We have therefore shown at Figs. 7 and 8 a construction similar to that shown at Figs. 1 and 2, except that in the last-named figures the lever is shown as capable of swinging in a plane at right angles to the plane of the plate 1, while in Figs. 7 and 8 we show a lever 9, pivoted at its forward end to the base-plate, so as to swing in a plane parallel to the plane of the plate 1, the flexible loop 5 being carried by the rear end of the lever, just as is shown at Figs. 1 and 2. When this horizontal swinging lever is in the position shown at Fig. 7, it is presupposed that the garment has been placed over the hook element and that the flexible loop in slackened condition has been placed around the hook element outside the garment, and when the lever has been swung rearwardly to the position shown at Fig. 8 the flexible loop will have tightened, so as to hold the garment firmly. Two little friction-nubs 10 are provided, which rise from the base-plate, and another little nub depends from the rear end of the lever 9, so that when said lever is swung to the position shown at Fig. 8 these nubs will interlock, so that the lever will be held in clasped condition. The little nub at the rear end of the lever isnot shown except by dotted lines in circular disposition, and therefore is not denoted by any reference number or character. In all instances we prefer to form an upturned lip 11 at the rear of the lever to facilitate the manipulation of such lever when operating the same to unclasp a garment.

The loop itself may be made of any suitable flexible material that is non-elastic; but the loop may be covered with rubber or. other suitable substances, so as to decrease the likelihood of tearing the garment and also in.- crease the cling of the loop against the garment.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Agarment-clasp comprising abase-plate having a hook element at its forward end,and a non resilient flexible loop carried by a swinging member connected to said plate, said loop adapted to cooperate with said hook element and to become taut or loose according to the direction in which said member is swung, substantially as set forth.

2. A garment-clasp comprising a hook element, a non-resilient flexible loop element, and means for positively tightening and slackening said loop, substantially as set forth.

- 3. A garment-clasp comprising a hook element and a non-resilient flexible loop element supported by a common base, and means whereby when said elements are engaged the loop may be tightened, substantially as set forth.

4. A garment-clasp comprising abase-plate having a hook element rising therefrom, a lever pivotally connected to said plate, and a non-resilient flexible loop carried by said lever, substantially as set forth.

5. A garment-clasp comprising a base-plate having a hook element rising therefrom, a lever having a swinging connection with said plate, and a non-resilient flexible loop carried bythe free end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

6. A garment-clasp comprising a base-plate having a hook element risin therefrom, a lever having a pivotal connection with said plate and adapted to swing toward and away from said stud, and a non-resilient flexible loop carried by the free end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

7. Agarment-clasp comprisingabase-plate having a hook element atits forward end, a lever having one extremity pivoted to said plate, and a non-resilient flexible loop carried by the other extremity of said lever and extending forward beyond said pivotal point, substantially as set forth.

8. A garment-clasp comprising a base-plate having a hook element at its forward end, the lever pivoted at one end to a projection above the face of said plate, and the non-resilient flexible loop carried by the other end of said lever, substantially set forth.

9. A garment-clasp comprisinga base-plate having a hook element at its forward end, a lever having a pivotal connection with said plate in the rear of said element, and a nonresilient flexible loop carried by the free end of said lever and projecting forward beyond the pivotal point of the lever, whereby the forward and rearward swinging of said lever will operate to unclasp and clasp the parts, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures each in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS P. TAYLOR. ROBERT B. TUNNIOLIFFE.

\Vitnesses as to the signature of Thomas. 

